In the name
of merit, Management of public sector banks has spoiled
Human resource. Arbitrary promotion , whimsical rejection in promotion process,
inhuman transfers to remote places and inhumane treatment with junior officers have not only demoralized the working staff
but vitiated the work culture and has caused
much frustration to experienced and real performer but have given much value to
flatterers and corrupt officers.
Culture of flattery is wide rampant in banks as it is
prevalent in government offices. This is why really good banker does not apply
for promotion. Banks give promotion to those who apply even if he is having now
knowledge and no experience. This is root cause why volume of stressed asset
and fraud have sharply increased .Public sector banks are facing erosion in
their asset quality, in profit and also in capital. Human Resource Department
has become non-functional in all banks. Officials working IN HRD or in
Industrial relation or in Vigilance department are virtually puppet in the
hands of top officials.
Human Resource Development policies are not at all good or
policies are not executed by top officials honestly in the interest of bank,
rather all policies are used as a tool to serve their vested self interest. Some
officers are not getting promotion even in two or three decades but some others
get five or six promotion in a decade or two. Juniors and inexperienced now
monitor seniors and experienced. Stagnation in increment and low pension future
has further given frustration to real performers. Officers who do not possess
enough knowledge and experience are made Head of Branch or Head of a circle. Officers
who are clever in flattery and who know the art of speaking have become leaders
of banks even if they are corrupt and less efficient.
There is time bound promotion and no stagnation in pay scale
of central government employees but in banks pay scale and promotion process
both gives punishment to seniors and award to juniors. Even recruitment process
has become a source of doing favouritism . Kith and kin of officials are
directly recruited in higher scale to give them higher emolument as soon as
they join the bank. This is why officers working for last three decades are
getting less salary than those who are recruited in last two to five years in
higher scale. Hundreds of letters and several cases have been filed in various
court during last three decades, but
clever officials of bank management mange these court cases in such a way that
they never reach to a logical end.
Whenever top officials of banks are asked why health of
banks is weakening day by day, they point out the accusing finger towards global
recession or adverse political and economic situation in the country or
administrative shortcomings or interference by politicians in their functioning.
In the past, say before 1991 they used to say that their hands are not free and
they are forced to recruit and promote bank staff as per tradition rules and
policies. Government gave bank management complete freedom in the name of
reformation in the year 1991. In reformation era banks were allowed to decide
their interest rate structure, investment policy, and recruitment and promotion
policy in the interest of their bank. But it is unfortunate that during last 24
years, health of almost all public sector bank has deteriorated too much and
private banks have slowly and gradually snatched the business of public sector banks.
It is pity and disheartening that the medicine that is
required to cure the ailing public sector banks is considered as cause of
sickness. Banks should value experienced officers to save the banks but
unfortunately management of bank discard seniors and juniors are made Branch
head or Regional Head. This is why quality of lending and quality of operation
has faced sharp deterioration in last two decades of freedom and volume of
stressed assets in almost all banks have seen upsurge and are facing threat of loss.
It is true that legal and administrative machinery in the country is also weak
and ineffective in recovery of loan from defaulters, but if Human resource is
devoted and honest, there is no doubt that standard of banking will improve.
Human resource who can make or mar the bank are facing under reign of injustice
and facing severest torture without any judicious reward.
To add fuel to fire, wages of bank staff have faced sharp
erosion as com0ared to employees of central government employees. It is
astonishing that revision of wages of bank staff have been pending for last two
years but Indian bank Association as well as Ministry of “Finance are silent
spectator of such inordinate delay. After all, this indecisiveness and
negligence on the part of top officials of bank as also that of GOI have
adversely affected the future of banks and that of depositors, investors and
customers of these banks.
Politicians under the regime of UPA damaged these banks for
political gain . But now it is expected that Modi Sarkar will take corrective
steps to salvage these banks from further damage.I hope Mr. Naredra Modi ,Prime Minister and Mr.Jaitley Finance Minister will take all corrective steps to expedite wage revision and to improve work culture in banks so that they may compete with private banks.
If bank employees are happy and if they all feel joy in working , there is no doubt that banks will rise by leaps and bounds.. Only Happy workforce can ensure growth and safety of banks.On the contrary if officers are subjected to torture and humiliation , cases of regignation,fraud, bad debts , suicide and unnatural death of bank staff have to rise
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